STO'B 5-1 Captain Fitton

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Chapter 5

“And so, sir, having been unable to locate Doctor M’Mullen, in spite of a thorough search, I proceeded back to the rendezvous for further instructions. That is, given the condition of the sloop I have the honor to command.”

Philip stood bare-headed in Rear Admiral Whyte’s day cabin in the London Bridge, giving his report to that man and his secretary, Admiral Halsey being with the inshore squadron off Toulon. Rear Admiral Whyte was one of Philip’s steady, reliable enemies, and Philip had known that he was in for a rough time of it ever since the lookouts had reported that Admiral Halsey’s Viceroy was absent from Mahon’s harbor, leaving the broad pennant to fly from London Bridge instead. Duty was duty, however, so a little before two bells Philip had had himself rowed over to where London Bridge lay moored with a steady stream of water discharging over her side.

The admiral, a fair-haired man with receding hair and almost comically oversized ears and nose, allowed the silence to stretch out. His secretary made use of the time to catch up with his notes, his pen squeaking as it worked across the page.

Philip wondered what questions the admiral could possible have left to ask. He had already quizzed Philip on everything from the set of Philip’s sails to how much wine Philip had drunk with his meals. The secretary’s pen ceased squeaking, and the admiral roused himself. “Remind me of your orders, Mister Fitton?”

Here it comes, thought Philip. “To safely and swiftly convey Doctor M’Mullen to Gideon’s Bay, sir, and any other locations as he might request, and then to rejoin the fleet here at Mahon.”

“Yet instead I find that you have lost Doctor M’Mullen, almost lost your sloop and another brig that you somehow managed to obtain, lost several of your men in a series of inconsequential affairs, expended a great deal of powder and shot for water that you could have obtained for free at Gideon’s Bay, and delayed the turning in of enemy signal books, am I correct?”

“In fairness, sir, we did destroy a Spanish frigate.”

“So you say. Which you outnumbered two to one. But you haven’t a scrap of evidence to back this up - not even the name of this supposed frigate. And as for fairness, Mister Browne of the yard tells me that there is not a sloop on the station, not a frigate nor yet a ship of the line that has called for half as many spars and timbers as you have. We give you a brand new sloop and you knock her to pieces with nothing to show for it and you speak to me of fairness? Remind me of how many Commanders there are on The List, Mister Fitton?”

“563, sir, as of last month.”

“And how many sloops for them to command?”

“112, plus another 37 in ordinary and 16 fitting out new, sir.”

Admiral Whyte allowed another silence to fill the cabin. Four bells struck. The secretary dipped his pen and wiped the nib, waiting for the admiral to begin again. “Unfortunately,” said the admiral, eventually, “I have no spare commanders within reach. And as we have need of the Badger, it will have to be you who takes her to Malta for a refit, and to return without delay. You will not dilly-dally about, nor will you go whoring after prizes, and to underscore the need for dispatch I will tell you that I am at the same time writing to Gibraltar for any of several commanders who are presently on the beach there, and if they arrive before you return I will turn the sloop over to them. Do you understand me, sir?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I won’t find you here in a month’s time telling me that you need another refit because you single-handedly destroyed the French fleet?”

“No, sir.”

“You will wait on the gangway for my secretary to write out your orders and then depart for Malta without delay. You are dismissed.”

Philip bowed, his face burning. As he waited on the gangway for his orders, watching the stream of water that continued to run over the ship’s side, he reflected that London Bridge suited Admiral Whyte perfectly: neither was particularly seaworthy.

Author's Note|First Post|Previous|Next| last episode with Dr M’Mullen GLOSSARY